US7583206B2 - Device for inputting text by actuating keys of a numeric keypad for electronic devices and method for processing input impulses during text input - Google Patents

Device for inputting text by actuating keys of a numeric keypad for electronic devices and method for processing input impulses during text input Download PDF

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US7583206B2
US7583206B2 US10/502,871 US50287103A US7583206B2 US 7583206 B2 US7583206 B2 US 7583206B2 US 50287103 A US50287103 A US 50287103A US 7583206 B2 US7583206 B2 US 7583206B2
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key
input
sensors
keypad
actuated
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US10/502,871
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US20070139359A1 (en
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Oliver Völckers
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
    • G06F3/0236—Character input methods using selection techniques to select from displayed items
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/023—Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
    • G06F3/0233—Character input methods
    • G06F3/0234—Character input methods using switches operable in different directions
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04B—TRANSMISSION
    • H04B1/00—Details of transmission systems, not covered by a single one of groups H04B3/00 - H04B13/00; Details of transmission systems not characterised by the medium used for transmission
    • H04B1/38—Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
    • H04B1/40—Circuits

Definitions

  • the invention describes an apparatus for text input by activation of keys of a numeric keypad that are labelled in the typical way of mobile phones with multiple letters per key, where the keys detect the position of the finger on the activated key by means of special sensors; it also describes a procedure that associates the finger position with a certain character from the possible input alternatives.
  • Numeric keypads are widely in use with electronic devices such as mobile phones, photo copiers, automated teller machines, video recorder remote controls, audio players and many more.
  • electronic devices such as mobile phones, photo copiers, automated teller machines, video recorder remote controls, audio players and many more.
  • the increasing number of functions leads to a growing demand for text input functions on the basis of these numeric keypads.
  • solutions available for this task :
  • the multi-tap scheme has been a standard equipment of mobile and cordless phones, because it requires only minimal technical resources. In addition, it allows to use the same key arrangement internationally, while typewriter keyboards and PC keyboards must be localized. Although the multi-tap scheme is wide spread, it is not very convenient for text entry due to the large number of key taps with special operation requirements for fluid input. It is only a makeshift solution for entering short character sequences.
  • Each of the digit keys 2 to 9 is labelled with three or four letters of the alphabet. In order to enter a certain character, the corresponding digit key must be pressed several times within a brief time span. As the keys are not only assigned letters, but also special characters, umlauts etc., a single character input may require between three and fifteen key presses.
  • a spring-loaded button is located at the edge of the left side of a mobile phone. This button can be slided to the top or bottom.
  • the second or third letter of a digit key can be directly accessed if the spring-loaded button is shifted up or down during the activation of the digit key. With some training, this indeed improves text input speed. However, this method requires additional concentration and both hands. For this reasons, this variation has not prevailed.
  • Predictive text input is adequate for short text messages (short message service, SMS) of mobile phones. However, they are only useful if the entered text is covered by the dictionary of the software. So this word prediction methods are helpful for entering sentences of natural language, but not for entering names, addresses and abbreviations. Word prediction systems can only guess the intended input after some characters have been entered, not at the beginning of a word. For this reason, confusing or wrong word guesses are regularly displayed, distracting the user. If the system cannot associate an uncommon or new word with a dictionary entry although it has been fully entered, then the word has to be re-entered manually. The original input sequence was a waste of time in this case.
  • a system for text input must fulfil various requirements: First of all, the operation must be easy to learn and rapid input must be possible. The construction must be cost-efficient to produce and very robust, as mobile electronic devices are subject to strong shaking and hits as well as extreme changes of temperature (between 0 and 60 degrees Celsius).
  • the goal of the invention is to enable portable electronic devices with internal and/or external displays and a numeric keypad to accept input of arbitrary letter sequences, to show the characters immediately during text input, to reduce the required number of steps for text input while reducing the risk of typing errors and to keep production cost low.
  • the invention is based on the task to develop an apparatus for text input by means of single activations of keys of a numeric keypad and a method to process input pulses with an electronic controller during a text input with a numeric keypad of portable electronic devices with an internal and/or external display.
  • FIG. 1 the structure of the apparatus for text input according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 an example of operating a key of the keypad to enter the letters “a”, “b” and “c”
  • FIG. 3 a cross-section of a key activated with the finger on the left side ( 3 a ), in the center ( 3 b ) and on the right side ( 3 c )
  • FIG. 4 examples for the user interface of an electronic device during text input
  • FIG. 5 a table showing the association of letters to the digit keys depending on the position of the activation
  • FIG. 6 Examples for a screen display during the input of special characters
  • FIG. 7 an overview of suitable sensor types
  • FIG. 8 a flow chart of the controller scanning the keyboard
  • the keyboard consists of four components ( FIG. 1 ), a keypad 11 , a sensor matrix underneath the keypad 12 sensing the position of the key activation, a micro processor 13 and a display 14 , where the writing position is marked by a cursor 15 during text input.
  • the keypad 11 consists of twelve keys. Ten of them are labelled with the digits 0 to 9 and eight of these are also labelled with the letters from the range A-Z. Two other keys are provided for input of special characters.
  • Ordinary keys close an electric contact whenever mechanical pressure is exerted on any point of their surface.
  • the keys of the invention can also be used this way just like ordinary keys.
  • the micro processor 13 can distinguish between different positions on the key surface where it has been activated. This allows to accept the left, center or right character of the key label depending on whether the left, center or right side of this key has been touched ( FIG. 2 ).
  • a candidate list 41 is visible ( FIG. 4 a ).
  • This candidate list displays the possible input alternatives and highlights the selected character ( FIG. 4 b, c ).
  • the position of the pressure can be changed, leading to a corresponding change in the display. Any input is only accepted when the key is released.
  • the letters of the alphabet are distributed among the numeric keys in a way just like common telephone keyboards, so that the keys with the digits 2 to 9 are all labelled with three letters; only the “q” and “y” must be accommodated additionally on the digit keys 7 and 9 ( FIG. 5 ).
  • Special characters and international letters like umlauts and accented characters can be selected via an alternate key 46 .
  • the changed key assignments resulting from this are indicated by a pop-up window on the display 14 ( FIG. 6 a, b ).
  • the proposed implementation features a lower-upper case shift key 45 and a numeric shift key 44 similar to common telephone keypads.
  • a wide range of sensor technologies may be used for this application, as shown in the table of FIG. 7 . Both analog and digital sensors are suitable.
  • the invention offers a much faster input speed compared to the established multi-tap scheme with the numeric keys of a keypad.
  • the apparatus for text input according to the invention is also easier to operate: The user is only required to tap on the desired letter, instead of tapping digit keys repeatedly.
  • the invention can utilize a feature of electronic keypads that has only been treated as an incidental side-effect until now.
  • keys When they are being pressed, keys are marginally movable and can usually be tilted (pivoted) slightly to their sides.
  • the angle of the exerted pressure can be measured with sensors and allows to select from multiple key allocations, in this case the letter assignments of a numeric keypad.
  • FIG. 1 shows the keypad 11 . Normally such keys are used to enter the digits “0” to “9”. During a text input, the same keypad is used to enter letters. The shown associations are standardized. From the outside, the keypad according to the invention looks similar to an ordinary telephone keypad.
  • the shape and the design of the key top can be varied without influencing their function.
  • FIG. 2 b shows a key that is activated in the center. Accordingly, the middle position of the three choices “ABC”, i.e. “B” is highlighted on the display. If the key is pressed on its left side ( FIG. 2 a ), an “A” appears. A pressure on the right side of the key produces a “C” ( FIG. 2 c ).
  • the key top can be sensible to configure the key top as a small trough, concave from the left to the right side, i.e. with an edge at the left and right sides of the keys. This allows to feel out both the center of the keys as well as their edges and to activate them on their left or right side.
  • the apparatus acts exactly like a conventional numeric keypad. Every keypress leads to the input of the corresponding digit. The difference only becomes apparent when text is entered ( FIG. 4 ). The display 14 expects letters to be entered at the cursor position 15 . As long as no key is pressed, the candidate list 41 together with the highlighted candidate 42 is hidden.
  • the candidate list 41 appears on the display corresponding to the letters printed onto the key surface.
  • the candidate 42 is marked as an input choice on the left side of the list by highlighting with color or inverting.
  • the middle candidate appears ( FIG. 4 b ). This is applied correspondingly for an activation on the right side of the key ( FIG. 4 c ).
  • the candidate list 41 disappears and the finally selected character 42 turns up at the cursor position 15 .
  • the standardized association of letters to numeric keys assigns three letters to most digit keys. However, the keys “ 7 ” and “ 9 ” are each assigned four letters.
  • the invention complies with this established arrangement in order to make a transition easier. But three positions are particularly fast to access, these are both sides of the keys and their center. This means that the letter “q” on the digit key “ 7 ” and the letter “y” on the digit key “ 9 ” are slightly more difficult to access ( FIG. 5 ). As these letters are not so frequent, this assignment is still to be preferred against a non-standard arrangement.
  • FIG. 6 b shows the “ ⁇ ” (German sharp s) and “$” (dollar character) on the same numeric key as the letter “s” for normal text input. Accented characters, parentheses etc. are intentionally assigned to the left and right edge of certain keys.
  • the selected input mode is indicated by some help information (cheat sheet) 61 resp. 62 on the display 14 .
  • a subsequent activation of the alt key 46 toogles back to the normal letter input and the help information 61 resp. 62 vanishes.
  • the invention can be implemented by means of various sensor and switch types ( FIG. 7 ).
  • the most simple variant consists of conventional rocker switches 71 with three possible positions as listed in the table of FIG. 7 . As the resolution is only three steps, the risk of typing errors is high and it is difficult to enter the letters “q” and “y”. In addition, with this simple variant it is possible that either no or both contacts close the electric circuit which makes a correct interpretation impossible. Thus, conventional rocker switches with multiple click thresholds only deliver a makeshift solution for this application.
  • FSR force sensing resistors 72 located underneath either side of each key allow an analysis with a much higher resolution.
  • the FSR does not measure the angle of the applied force, but the applied force.
  • the angle of the pressure must be computed with software from these force sensing data. This is complicated and likely to produce errors.
  • a strip-formed FSR 73 or linear potentiometer can detect the contact position of a key directly. Just like strain gauges 74 , this sensor type delivers analog data that must be digitized and transformed to values indicating the pressure angle. Hall sensors 75 can measure the distance of the key edges to the printed circuit board 25 precisely, but they can only be integrated into a keyboard at a high cost in terms of production efforts.
  • An innovative, digital angle sensor 76 is perfect for this application. Its digital measurement readings correspond directly with the angle of the keys. Its precision is scalable depending on the requirements. In its simplest form, two contacts of this angle sensor can distinguish four cases and deliver a 2 bit resolution. Then, the idle condition of the keys corresponds to the status zero; the activation of the left resp. right side of the key sets the left resp. right bit; and an activation in the center closes both contacts and sets both bits of the result.
  • FIG. 8 displays an algorithm for the interactive input of characters according to the invention.
  • the keypad is scanned several times per second (step 81 ). If a key activation is detected during step 82 , the corresponding input candidates appear (step 83 ). Now the touch position on the key is computed from the sensor measurements ( 84 ). On the basis of this position, the procedure according to the invention determines the associated candidate (step 85 ) and highlights it (step 86 ). Steps 84 to 86 are repeated as long as the key is pressed, and the display of the current candidate is updated if necessary. Only after the key is released (after step 87 ), the candidate display vanishes (step 88 ) and the input is accepted (step 89 ). This is repeated as long as input of text is possible.
  • this solution has the crucial advantage that no electronic dictionaries are required and it is thus suitable for arbitrary input sequences. Even names, email addresses, foreign words etc. that consistently lead predictive text input systems into failure can be entered fluently with the invention.
  • the new procedure does not require extra devices as it can easily be integrated into existing designs.
  • the accustomed letter arrangement makes the transition easier for device manufacturers and for users.
  • the text input according to the invention is much faster and more reliable than the conventional method of multi-tapping numeric keys. Its user interface is also much easier to conceive. Users just need to point the finger at the desired letter and press the corresponding key at this position.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Input From Keyboards Or The Like (AREA)
  • Telephone Set Structure (AREA)
US10/502,871 2002-02-02 2003-01-16 Device for inputting text by actuating keys of a numeric keypad for electronic devices and method for processing input impulses during text input Expired - Fee Related US7583206B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE10204379A DE10204379B4 (de) 2002-02-02 2002-02-02 Einrichtung zur Texteingabe durch eine Betätigung von Tasten eines nummerischen Tastenblocks für elektronische Geräte und Verfahren zur Verarbeitung von Eingabeimpulsen bei einer Texteingabe
DE10240379.5 2002-02-02
PCT/EP2003/000417 WO2003067409A2 (de) 2002-02-02 2003-01-16 Einrichtung zur texteingabe durch eine berätigung von tasten eines nummerischen tastenblocks für elektronische geräte und verfahren zur verarbeitung von eingabeimpulsen bei einer texteingabe

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US20070139359A1 US20070139359A1 (en) 2007-06-21
US7583206B2 true US7583206B2 (en) 2009-09-01

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EP (1) EP1493073A2 (de)
JP (1) JP4181999B2 (de)
KR (1) KR100950033B1 (de)
DE (1) DE10204379B4 (de)
TW (1) TWI271640B (de)
WO (1) WO2003067409A2 (de)

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DE10204379B4 (de) 2008-06-26
TW200302976A (en) 2003-08-16
EP1493073A2 (de) 2005-01-05
WO2003067409A3 (de) 2003-12-18
TWI271640B (en) 2007-01-21
JP4181999B2 (ja) 2008-11-19
DE10204379A1 (de) 2003-08-14
KR20040094414A (ko) 2004-11-09
KR100950033B1 (ko) 2010-03-29
US20070139359A1 (en) 2007-06-21
WO2003067409A2 (de) 2003-08-14
JP2005527018A (ja) 2005-09-08

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